Sweat cooled on his skin as Asher ran from the football field and to the bleachers. He ran his hand through his sandy blonde hair and smiled up at his friends who sat faithfully on the bleachers as they had for the past two and a half hours.
‘You look hot,’ Jess commented as he approached them.
‘Why thank-you,’ he smirked. ‘You don’t look too bad yourself.’
Jess blushed deep red. Beth, who sat next to her, laughed, ‘Gosh Asher, any chance to flirt aye?’
Asher just smiled, sitting on the row below them and turning around to face them.
‘Where’s Chad?’ Jess asked him, the pink fading from her pale skin.
‘Yeah, where is that boyfriend of mine?’ Beth asked, her eyes searching the emptying field before them.
‘He left something in his locker so he went back for it,’ Asher explained.
The girls nodded in approval, apparently that was an acceptable excuse for being absent.
‘What are you and Chad doing tonight?’ Jess asked Beth.
Asher was quite pleased that the two girls had gotten along so well in the last couple of days. At first, Beth had immediately believed that the girl had been unworthy of her friendship due to her past affiliation with Maisy, but it only took a few minutes for Beth to see that there was much more to the shy, smiley girl than her past with Maisy.
Beth scrunched up her nose, ‘We are having dinner with his parents, god help me.’
Jess smiled, her hand touching Beth’s arm reassuringly, ‘I’m sure it will be fine!’
Beth shrugged, ‘Eh, they seem to not really like me.’
‘Who couldn’t love you?’ Asher asked. ‘You are like the poster child of perfection.’
Beth smiled downwardly, ‘Shut up,’ she said half-heartedly, her hand coming up to lazily fling away the somewhat unwanted compliment.
Chad joined them then, a history textbook in his hands. ‘Have fun watching us sweat for two hours?’ he asked sarcastically.
‘Oh, such fun,’ Beth laughed.
‘You know you love it,’ Asher smiled. ‘Anyway, it’s a girlfriend’s job, you have to do it,’ he told Beth.
‘Does that mean you two are an item?’ Chad asked with a smirk.
Jess looked at Asher with wide eyes. Beth looked between them with an almost analytical expression, like she was trying to see if them as a couple would be a good fit.
‘No, she’s here to support me, like a good friend.’
‘He’s also coming to my house now to study for that history test Monday,’ Jess explained. ‘He’s going to follow me home.’
‘You make it sound like I’m your stalker,’ Asher huffed, sounding offended.
‘I’m glad!’ Beth ignored him all together. ‘History’s his weak subject,’ he told Jess.
‘I know and I’m going to make sure he passes Monday’s test!’ she smiled at him.
Asher was grateful for the thousandth time in those last three days that he had befriended her. Although he had received quite a few hate and spite filled glances from Maisy and her current friends, he still believed that he had done the right thing. He had done what Danny would have been proud of him for doing and in all of this, he needed to do the right thing here.
Chad clapped his shoulder, ‘Look after this one, she’s a keeper.’
‘Hey,’ Beth huffed. ‘I help you study all the time.’
‘Yes, Yes love,’ Chad agreed dutifully.
His girlfriend rolled her eyes. She then looked down at her phone which sat in her hand, ‘We should get going if we want to make it to dinner with your parents on time.’
Chad nodded, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’
All four of them stood up, Jess passed Asher his backpack and he took it with a smile, ‘Thanks.’
They walked down the bleachers and down the small path that led to the parking lot. Chad swung his arm around Beth as they walked and she leaned into him even though he probably smelt of sweat and grass from practice.
Chad’s car was in the first row of cars and he and Beth made their way over to it. ‘Have fun studying..’ Chad winked at them, Beth elbowing him gently in the ribs.
‘Bye guys,’ she smiled, eyeing her boyfriend.
Asher and Jess walked over to their cars which were parked only three cars apart. Jess followed Asher to his car as they talked, ‘Will you be okay to follow me? If we get separated I’ll pull over until you catch up.’
‘Sounds good,’ he nodded. ‘Let me text my dad and let him know I won’t be home when he gets home.’
Asher pulled the cell phone out from his backpack. He saw that he had a missed message from his father.
Make sure you come home right after practice. – Dad
He frowned at the phone, replying to the message.
Do I have to be home now? I made plans to study with a friend. – Asher
He looked up at Jess, ‘My dad wants me home.’
She looked disappointed, her big eyes reminding him of a cartoon animal. ‘Well, we can always study tomorrow night?’ she offered with those disappointed eyes.
Yes. Come home now please, we have dinner plans. – Dad
Asher didn’t remember making any sort of dinner plans with his father. His dad wasn’t home until late at night most of the time anyway, there was usually no use in making dinner plans with him. He, however, did see the use in making plans with Jess who he now had to cancel on.
Asher nodded, ‘Yeah, is it okay if we do that? I’m so sorry to cancel on you,’ he told her sincerely.
Jess shrugged, ‘It’s not your fault. Don’t even worry about it.’
Asher turned towards his car but stopped, turning back. ‘I don’t want you to feel like you owe me something.’
Jess seemed surprised by the sudden comment, ‘I-I don’t.’
‘You don’t have to study with me if that’s why.’
She shook her head almost fiercely, ‘I’m helping you because that’s what friends do for each other.’
Asher lent back against his car, ‘How are you doing since the whole Maisy thing?’ He had avoided the topic of Maisy with her but since he knew that she genuinely considered him a friend he thought that it was the right thing to do.
She lent onto the car too, ‘It’s strange when my friends stare at me like I’ve committed treason or something. They were the people I told everything to, you know. I trusted them and we had fun times. I wasn’t like them, I was shy and quiet but they took me under their wing and I became like a mini version of Maisy without even realising. I never liked the way the school worked, like some people were worth more than others, but I never said anything, and truly, I didn’t understand how bad it was until I was the one being kicked out by her. One day I had heaps of friends and I knew where I stood, but then in one second I lost it all.’
Asher nudged her, ‘I’m sorry she treated you like that.’
‘Don’t be,’ she said. Her eyes seemed to light up. ‘I’m glad that I am out of that group. I have you now and you’ve been a better friend to me in a few days than she has in an entire year.’
Asher smiled at her, happy that he had made a positive impact in her life. He wished that she knew how much that meant to him.
Jess must have mistaken the smile for something more, he assumed, because in the next moment she was leaning forwards. She seemed to be leaning in to kiss him and he wasn’t sure what to do. He froze, looking at her with wide eyes as she started closing hers. She was going to kiss him.
Suddenly memories of the party with Maisy flung into the forefront of his mind and he pulled away from her quickly. She opened her eyes suddenly and blood rushed to her cheeks, ‘I’m sorry!’ she said in a hurry, ‘I thought, uh, and with all Chad’s jokes, well-’
He stopped her, ‘It’s fine, seriously.’
They were silent for a little while.
Jess’s thin blonde hair was pushed to her back and she pulled forwards a few strands to twirl nervously around her fingers. She seemed to be waiting for him to speak first. Honestly, he didn’t know what to say.
‘I didn’t know you felt like that about me,’ he mumbled. He was so sure that he had found a good friend in her and the thought of that being destroyed was an awful thought. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he had to reject her, there was no other choice. His fingers ran through his sandy blonde hair nervously as he looked out around the parking lot, avoiding her gaze.
She looked down, mumbling out a ‘Yeah.’
He turned to her, ‘Is it okay if we just stay friends? I really do like you as a friend,’ He felt as if he had to say it. He needed her to know that this wasn’t because he hated her or something like that. She was kind and sweet and even being around Maisy for so long had done nothing to taint that beautiful personality. He needed her to know that otherwise he was going to feel even more awful.
Jess’s expression lightened, ‘Of course,’ Asher let out a breath at her words. ‘It’s going to be awkward now, isn’t it?’ she asked.
Asher shook his head, ‘I’m never awkward, I’m smooth as a fox.’
‘Of course,’ she laughed, that light returning to her eyes.
‘I should get going,’ he told her.
She nodded. Asher smiled and he leaned forwards, throwing the girl into a hug. ‘See you tomorrow,’ he smiled. There was no awkwardness in the gesture, and for that he was extremely grateful.
She smiled back when they parted, ‘See you.’
She made her way to her car and he opened the door to his.
On the drive home he wondered why it was so crucial for him to be home right after practice. He wasn’t sure what he was in store for when he walked through those doors at home. He drove the short distance between the school and his house, pausing when he reached his street. A car was parked outside his house. As he got closer he recognised the car as Mr Clark’s car.
A huge smile graced his face as he realised that Danny and his father were over. Then his smile faltered, why were they here? They hardly ever came to visit during the weekdays because of the long drive. Did something happen?
He parked hastily, his car sitting slightly haphazardly in the garage. He walked into the house and followed the sound of voices to the kitchen where he saw his father and Mr Clark sitting at the kitchen bench with coffees in their hands. They both smiled at Asher when they saw him. Asher was going to say hello to him but he suddenly had an armful of Danny who had seen him first. Danny wrapped his arms around Asher quickly and warmly, pressing his lips to Asher’s in a soft kiss.
He pulled away, that gorgeous smile on his face, ‘Hi!’
Asher laughed, still not letting go of Danny, ‘Hello there. What’s going on? I didn’t know you two were coming over tonight?’
‘Neither did we until a few hours ago,’ Danny told him.
Asher looked at Mr Clark, ‘Why are you guys here?’ he asked, curiosity filling his mind.
‘He was actually just about to tell me that, but why don’t we wait until dinner arrives?’ His father suggested. ‘You look like a shower should be your first priority.’
‘Gee thanks dad,’ Asher laughed. ‘Can’t we know now?’ he turned that question onto Mr Clark.
‘I think your father is right, I’ll tell you over dinner. Have a shower and the pizza should be here by the time you get out.’
Asher wished that he would just tell him what was going on but he complied, nodding at the men. ‘Okay,’ he grabbed Danny’s hand and led him past their fathers and to the stairs.
‘Can I join you in this shower?’ Danny asked low enough so that their father’s would have no chance of overhearing the raunchy words.
Asher pulled their joined hands closer to his body so that Danny’s shoulder collided softly with his own. He whispered in his ear, ‘I don’t know, will there be enough time before the pizza gets here? Our fathers won’t be happy with cold pizza.’
Danny smirked, ‘We could tell them that the shower wouldn’t turn on?’
They reached Asher’s room and he threw the door open, leading Danny inside before pushing him up against the wall of his room, ‘Or that I couldn’t find the shampoo anywhere?’ he whispered, his face only inches away from his boyfriends.
Danny suddenly had that half horny, half adorable expression that he only got around Asher, ‘Or that you were really, really dirty.’
Asher pressed light kisses down Danny’s neck, ‘I like your thinking.’
It was forty-five minutes later when they actually arrived at the dinner table. They sat down in their usual places to see that both of their fathers were staring at them with half annoyed and half amused expressions on their faces. Asher only smirked across at his boyfriend who was wearing the same blue shirt and black shorts as he had before, only now his hair was wet and every few seconds a drop of water would drip down from it. He himself felt much better, he was clean and out of his training clothes.
The large, white table had two big boxes of pizza in the centre, their lids closed. Asher almost felt bad that they had to wait for them. Almost.
‘How was your shower?’ his father asked from across the table. The question was worded seriously, but there was a tinge to his tone that made it seem like his father was playing with him.
‘Glorious,’ he replied confidently, leaning over to open the box of pizza. He pulled out a piece of peperoni pizza and placed it down on his plate.
Danny, who was sitting next to him, leant over and grabbed a piece for himself.
‘Danny, why is your hair wet?’ Mr Clark asked, eyeing his son.
Asher wasn’t sure for a second if he was serious and so he paused in his movements, looking up at his boyfriend’s father. He was so relieved he could almost cry when he saw the lifted corners of Mr Clarks mouth.
He looked over at Danny who was smiling down at his lap with a warm pink spreading along his cheekbones. ‘It was raining?’ he offered sarcastically.
‘Indoors?’ Asher’s father asked and Asher couldn’t keep his laughter in at that.
He laughed loudly, his hand coming up to his mouth to try to smother the sounds unsuccessfully. Danny sent him a smirk, ‘Shh,’ he coughed out under his breath.
Their fathers joined in on the laughter and then they were back to their normal conversation. Asher had just finished his second piece when he remembered the peculiarity of their sudden dinner. ‘So,’ he asked Mr Clark, ‘Why is it that you guys are here tonight? I wasn’t expecting to see you two until the weekend,’ he asked between bites.
Danny suddenly reached over and took Asher’s free hand in his own. Danny was wearing a giant smile on his face.
‘What?’ Asher asked.
‘Yes,’ his father asked his friend, ‘why are we having this dinner?’
Mr Clark looked at Danny, excitement in his features, ‘Do you want to tell them or do you want me to?’
‘You can,’ he said.
Mr Clark smiled, leaning forwards slightly. ‘My company has offered me a transfer to another branch. In fact, this branch is only ten minutes from here.’
Asher froze, the pizza in his hand dropping onto the plate with a dull thud.
‘Here?’ his father, Allan, asked with a suprised smile on his face. ‘You’re moving here?’
‘Yes!’ Mr Clark exclaimed to his father. ‘I took the position in a heartbeat. There’s nothing keeping us in our town, and plus moving here means that the kids can go to the same school and everything, wouldn’t that be nice?’
His father smiled over at Asher, ‘Isn’t this great news?’
Asher looked at his father. He was so happy, not just happy that his best, and probably only, friend was moving closer but he was also ecstatic because he believed that this was going to make his son happy. His eyes flickered over to Danny who was looking at him expectantly, that sweet smile on his lips.
‘We are going to see each other every day!’ Danny exclaimed.
Asher gulped. He didn’t care that his entire world was about to come crashing down, the only thing he cared about was the crushing feeling in his chest that reminded him that this meant Danny was going to find out the truth. Danny was going to get hurt. It was inevitable now. It was only a matter of time before the truth escaped and Danny knew that he had been hidden from almost everyone in Asher’s life, that Asher had lied through his teeth about so many aspects of his life. Danny was never supposed to know, but now it was inescapable.
The three of them were looking at him with expectant looks, waiting for him to speak. ‘That’s absolutely fantastic,’ he exclaimed. Yet another lie to add to the list.